Pathways Wrap: 23/03/25

The Sea Eagles' Harold Matthews Cup side have fought hard in their fixture against the Cronulla Sharks, walking away 20-10 victors on Sunday afternoon at Sharks Stadium.

Today's win takes them to ten competition points on the ladder, equal with three teams and only two points behind second and third place with a match against the 12th-placed Dragons awaiting next week.

Manly found the line in the sixth minute with a well-worked try for prop Kai Brennan. Lock Lukas Butler ran at the line and threw a perfectly-timed pass to Brennan to send him under the posts untouched for a 6-0 lead.

Cronulla hit back in the 13th minute when full-back Thomas Beattie pushed past the defence to ground the ball in the corner and level the score at 6-all.

The Sea Eagles regained the lead six minutes later when centre Tahj Hamilton got on the end of a grubber kick from halfback Max Prykiel to score in the corner for a 10-6 scoreline.

Manly carried their momentum into the second half as winger Hunter Chan dived over in the corner in the 33rd minute. Prykiel was integral again, throwing a looping cut-out pass to send Chan over and extend his side's lead to 14-6.

The Sharks capitalised off the back of their defence in the prior 15 minutes and went on to score in the 50th minute through second-rower Hugh Windon, cutting the deficit to 14-10.

Manly hooker Ashton Large scored on the stroke of full-time after fooling the defence with two dummy passes to score for a final scoreline of 20-10.

The Sea Eagles' ten-point victory is their fourth for the season and sees them sit in a comfortable position on the ladder with two matches remaining before the finals begin.

Next Up: Round 8 vs St. George Dragons @ Netstrata Jubilee Stadium, Sunday March 30 at 10:30am.

SG Ball Cup

The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles SG Ball Cup side suffered a 24-4 defeat to the Cronulla Sharks in round 7 today.

Cronulla shot out to a quick 12-0 lead after tries in the third and tenth minute from Blake Watman and Thomas Dellow respectively.

Manly found the line in the 31st minute in spectacular fashion for their only try of the match.

Half-back Beau Alexander bumped one defender off and threw a looping cut-out pass to find Benjamin Keene-O'Keefe. The winger got past his opposing number and leaped in the air to ground the ball in the corner for a 12-4 scoreline at half-time.

Momentum shifted back in favour of the home side quickly thanks to two tries in a two minute span in the 42nd minute, with Ratu Viliame Koroitamana and Blake Wardrobe. Both tries were converted to extend the Sharks' lead to the final score of 24-4.

Sea Eagles' utility Tallis McEwen-Welsh went close to scoring moments before full-time with a crafty chip and chase from 30 metres out, only to be ankle tapped and dragged down inches from the line.

Next Up: Round 8 vs Western Suburbs Magpies @ Sydney Academy of Sport and Recreation, Sunday March 30 at 1pm.

Lisa Fiaola Cup

The Sea Eagles Under 17s women’s team had a tough hitout on Saturday morning as they fell to a 38-8 defeat to the Illawarra Steelers in Wollongong.

Illawarra shot out to a quick 10-0 lead in the first 11 minutes thanks to tries from Halle Barrett and Ella Churchill.

Manly’s hard-hitting forward Paula Halaholo crashed over next to the posts in the 27th minute with a monstrous run to score her second try of the season, cutting the deficit to 10-4 at halftime.

The Steelers came out firing in the second half and scored four tries in 14 minutes to take their lead to 34-4.

A deflected kick and a quick shift to the right edge saw Sea Eagles’ winger Katie Andrews dive over in the corner for a try to take the score to 34-8.

Illawarra capped off the match with a try in the 59th minute to seal a 30-point victory.

Next Up: Round 8 vs Central Coast Roosters @ Sydney Academy of Sport and Recreation, Sunday March 30 at 10am.

Tarsha Gale Cup

Manly’s Tarsha Gale Cup side also tasted defeat in their fixture against the Illawarra Steelers, going down 22-12.

The Sea Eagles struck in the fifth minute with a try to Lexus Christie Talau Brown. The second-rower took a pass ten metres out from the line and pushed past four defenders to score for a 6-0 lead.

Illawarra bounced back with tries in the 23rd and 29th minute through Tori Shipton and Maddalyn Bullock to take a 10-6 lead into the break.

A penalty helped Manly soar downfield as they went on to score their second and final try in the 35th minute through prop Teulia Robertson.

After taking a hitup metres out from the line and initially being pushed back, Robertson used her strength to spin out of the three-woman tackle and ground the ball on the line for a well-deserved try to give her side a 12-10 lead.

The lead was short-lived as the home side quickly retaliated five minutes later, with Shipton scoring her second for a 14-12 scoreline.

Rhian Yeo put the nail in the coffin with a try in the 53rd minute to seal a 22-12 victory for the Steelers over the Sea Eagles.

Next Up: Round 8 vs Central Coast Roosters @ Sydney Academy of Sport and Recreation, Sunday March 30 at 11:30am.